A consumer forum here has directed Parsvnath Developers Ltd to pay over Rs seven lakh to a woman, who had booked a plot in its proposed township in Sonepat, holding it guilty of "unfair trade practices".

New Delhi District Consumer Disputes Forum, presided by C K Chaturvedi, asked the real-estate firm to pay Rs 7,07,000 to Delhi resident Ekta Bhushan, saying the firm deliberately misused her money for years which indicated its malafide and unfaithful activities.

"There were no construction activities at the site in Sonepat for last nine years except adopting the delay tactics to misuse the consumers fund collected through publicity," the forum's bench, also comprising its members S R Chaudhary and Ritu Garodia, noted.

"It is clear case of unfair trade practices on the part of Opposite Party (real-estate firm) which deliberately misused complainant's money for years and years and compelled her to bring into litigation which clearly indicates malafide and unfaithful activities of the firm which deliberately concealed facts and adopted harassing attitude for complainant and prolonged to handover the plot to complainant in question to gain the time whereas there is no possession of plot even in the hand of the firm," it said.

The forum directed the firm to refund Rs 5,82,000, paid by Bhushan for the plot and also asked it to pay Rs 1.25 lakh as compensation for harassment and litigation charges.

In her complaint, Bhushan had told the forum that she had booked a plot in the firm's proposed township in Sonepat in September 2004 by paying Rs 5,82,000.

She repeatedly tried to discuss the matter with the firm but it never responded to her. Neither any development took place on the possession of plot nor the construction, she said adding that aggrieved by this, she approached the forum.

The firm had contended before the forum that provisional allotment was done in October 2009.

It, however, did not disclose any reason for delay in handling over possession of the plot or any construction development, the forum noted.